This page provides information for new faculty and staff members in the School of Arts & Sciences about getting connected to electronic resources. If you have any questions through the onboarding process, please contact your Local Support Provider (LSP).

Essentials for Getting Started

Step 1 — Get on Payroll

The first step is to get onto Penn’s Payroll. At least two weeks before you arrive at Penn, request that your department send you payroll forms. Once payroll forms are completed and submitted to your business office, you will be able to move on to the next steps.

PennCard

Your PennCard is your Identification Card. You need it almost everywhere.

Once you have been in Payroll for 24 hours, go to the PennCard Center on the second floor of the Penn Bookstore (36th and Walnut) to obtain your Penncard and have your picture taken.

Please see the Penncard webpage for identification requirements and directions.

PennKey

Your PennKey is your electronic ID. It is required before opening any other accounts (email, Canvas, etc). Your PennKey will become the first part of your email address. Please note that once selected, your PennKey cannot be changed. Ask your Local Support Provider if you dislike all the options presented BEFORE choosing.

Standing faculty, postdocs and staff in payroll: You will be assigned a temporary setup code that allows you to activate your PennKey online. You should receive a setup code in advance or at the same time you get your PennCard. You can also obtain one in person from ISC Customer Service, 3401 Walnut Street Suite 265B

Short Term Guests (less than two weeks) can receive temporary PennKeys for wireless and public computer access. Contact your LSP with the guest’s name and length of visit. If you have a large conference and require multiple guest PennKeys, please contact your LSP in advance.

Long Term Guests (more than two weeks) will get a setup code to create a PennKey. Sponsor's name, PennID number, and guest’s name and date of birth are needed.

Email Accounts

Once a faculty or staff member has an active PennKey, a request can be made for email account creation. The School of Arts and Sciences offers both PennO365 and Google@SAS email accounts, and eligibility is decided based on one’s appointment and affiliation with the university.

On the day after they set up a PennKey, faculty and staff members can go here to create their email account. The username for one's email account will be the same as one's PennKey, yourpennkey@upenn.edu. Most full-time faculty and staff members are eligible for PennO365 email accounts. 

	PennO365	Google@SAS
Who is eligible?	Full-time Faculty & Staff	Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Post-docs, those ineligible for O365 accounts.
How do I request an account?	To create your account go here	To create your account go here
Where do I access my email online?	https://outlook.office.com	https://gmail.com
For more information:	FAQ	FAQ

 

Internet Access (Network)

Wired Access

Wired access is faster and generally preferred. If you would like to use the wired network, you can either connect using DHCP or you can get a static IP address. Contact your Local Support Provider for assistance.

Wireless Access

Wireless networking is available in several locations. In order to gain access, you need to configure your computer in advance. See the online directions or contact your Local Support Provider for assistance.

Guest Pennkey holders may use the wireless network by authenticating via the AirPennNet-Guest webpage.

Eduroam is now available for guests from participating institutions.

Other Handy Resources

Penn Directory Listing

Check your entry in the Penn Directory. The information entered here propagates to many other Penn information systems. Update your listing to manage this information.

Canvas

Canvas is the course management system we use. It's a great way to post course materials online and to collect assignments.

Instructors and TAs can have a Canvas account. To request a Canvas site for a course, use the online course request form.

After submitting a request, courses will typically be available within one to two hours. The library's systems automatically enroll a course's students, instructors, and TAs into the course's site.

See "Things You Really Need to Know About Canvas".

Penn+Box (File Storage in the Cloud)

Penn has a cloud-based file management and file sharing service called “Penn+Box.” The basic Penn+Box service is free to members of the University community. Each person starts with 50 GB of space to save, access, and share their files from anywhere.

For more information, visit your LSP or our Penn+Box page.

File Storage (Domain Accounts)

Domain accounts are used to access a variety of SAS services. You can request an account by submitting our online form.

Home directories for file storage ("U drives") are generally only provided to faculty and staff. However, other requests may be submitted with an explanation for review.

You can also request access to departmental shares or lab directories on this form.

Websites

Full-time faculty members, staff members, and graduate students may request a CampusPress site for themselves or for a project.

It's also possible to request a website on one of our SAS servers. Please contact your Local Support Provider.

 

For More Information and for Help

1. Visit Resources for New Faculty, a web page provided by the SAS Dean's office.
2. Contact your Local Support Provider for further guidance and assistance.